Not an anbu yet
by vanicent
Summary: The civilian council denies Naruto the basic education required for entrance to the ninja academy. The Hokage has a solution. Eventual Narusaku
1. Let's do plan B

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does.

Well, here's the new story that's been stuck in my head for weeks, chapter 2 is nearly done and i'm figuring out chapter 3 as well, but I keep tweaking events to make things smoother, there's a good chance this chapter is gonna get reworked at least once to mention something else or change timing or whatnot. The basic premise should be pretty clear from reading the story itself, I'm not aiming for a super powered naruto, just one that is trained, that isn't a genius but knows how to think. The planned pairing is Narusaku, whether that is a friendship or a romance is still up in the air, most likely it will be romantic but i'm still figuring out how exactly that is gonna play out in a believable manner. I have a basic outline of events and how things will be affected by the different beginning, and of course, the devil is in the details. But I figured i'd get at least this chapter up and see what people think, if the premise could be considered realistic enough to fly in the narutoverse. Don't expect fast updates, I do apologize but i work, go to school and have a family to look after so my writing time is limited to a few hours a week and occasionally some time on the weekends. At least until I replace the dead laptop ;p

"Hey look, it's THAT kid."

Sakura turned her head to look at the source of the noise, and saw a boy about her age, crying in the middle of the street. A crowd surrounded him in a circle, staring and muttering mean things.

"I'll become Hokage and you'll all have to respect me!" he shouted between sobs, wiping his tears on a soaked orange sleeve of the worn out jumpsuit he was wearing. Brilliant blonde locks of his wildly unkempt hair stood in all directions, bouncing softly as his head bobbed with each sob. He looked up one last time at the crowd, a defiant look on his face as blue eyes met green for the briefest of moments, and then he was gone, running back the other way, away from the academy she was about to enter with her mother. But she couldn't shake the memory of those eyes from her mind.

_Pretty._ It was the only thing she could think of to describe them, such a bright blue, despite the tears that fell so freely from them. A slight tug on the sleeve of her blue shirt brought her thoughts back to reality as her mother pulled her towards her first day at the academy.

"Come on Sakura, we don't want to be late for your first day." Her mother chided softly. "Remember, you don't have to become a ninja if you don't want to dear."

"Mom! I want to!" She knew her mother didn't want her to be a ninja, but it was something she had decided on herself.

"Mom…who was that boy, he was crying. Where was his mom at?" She couldn't help but ask; she just couldn't shake the image of him crying in the street… alone.

"That boy is trouble, I don't want to see you playing with him ever. Do you understand me?" The serious tone of her mother's voice scared her, and she could only nod in reply. Taking one last moment to adjust the red ribbon on the top of her head one last time, Sakura Haruno followed her mother into her first class at the ninja academy of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he watched the defeated blonde sitting in his office. It was a simple matter to get Naruto into the ninja academy, as the Hokage it fell under his responsibilities to ensure that the next generation of ninja was adequately trained and prepared to become Konoha's future. It would have been a simple matter to approve Naruto as a student and watch him work to fulfill his dream. Unfortunately he had forgotten that any applicant for the ninja academy had to first complete one year of basic education at the standard academy, any ninja of course needing to know the basics of Konoha's history, laws and have possession of the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Therein lay the problem, as the standard academy fell under the jurisdiction of the civilian council. For them it had been a simple matter to ban Naruto. Despite being Hokage, he could not simply ignore one of the core rules that governed the training of future ninja, no matter how promising the applicant be.

"Naruto, I'm sorry that you weren't allowed to go to school. I know I promised that you would get to be trained to be a ninja, and I will figure out a way if there is one, but I will need some time. Go home for today and rest, please stay out of trouble today and I will see what I have to do." Turning to one of the two anbu in the room he said "Bear, please take Naruto home, and make sure he gets a decent dinner, I'll reimburse you." Nodding, Bear took Naruto outside of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Any idea's, Inu?" He did have one, actually.

"You should consider Danzou-sama's idea."

Surprise lit up Sarutobi's face as he stared incredulously at Inu. "You're not serious? Turn Naruto into a _weapon_?"

"Of course not, Hokage-sama. However giving him to Anbu for training has its merits, of course I mean the Anbu under your leadership not Danzou-sama's." Of course! Sarutobi wondered why that option had never occurred to him.

"That… may work. I could recruit him as a promising Anbu candidate, and the council would have no authority to interfere, legally Anbu answers only to the Hokage. I would have to keep him to a very strict training regimen for appearances sake, he doesn't need the council bothering him if he seems to be lacking in potential. I would have liked to have him in public school, allow him to make friends and socialize. "

"In all honesty, Hokage-sama, it may be in Naruto's interest to be away from his peers and out of sight so to speak anyways, the parent's views are influencing their children, and the boy has no friends among the academy staff if today's events are any indication."

Much to his own disappointment, the Hokage found himself agreeing with Inu's view on the situation. More and more he felt like he had failed the boy, and resolved that this would be a turning point. Naruto would get the training he needed to become great, whether he liked it or not.

"Inu, please have that newly appointed Jonin, eh…. Ebisu was his name report to my office tomorrow morning… 9am should do. He trained specifically to be an instructor, I think He is just who we need for this."

"Of course, Hokage-sama" with that Inu disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Sitting back in his chair the Hokage took a long draw on his pipe, staring off for a few moments while digesting the day's events. Pulling an empty scroll out of a drawer in his desk he began writing a short message.

_Some things happened and HE will begin training soon, it's early but had to be done. You should visit him sometime within the next year and help him with techniques. –S_

Closing the scroll he sealed it before standing. Walking to the window he looked outside over the village he protected. "Bear" he called softly.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Take this scroll and see to it that a messenger bird leaves with it today, it is important that this get to Jiraiya soon." Taking the scroll, Bear left without another word. Sarutobi continued to look out across the village he loved, remembering the words his friend's son had said.

"_I'll become a better Hokage than you! And protect everybody!"_ He couldn't help but smile at that memory, at the determination and seriousness etched into the boy's face.

"I'll help you get there… Naruto."

Ebisu stood at attention, patiently awaiting the details on what he assumed would be a new mission. Adjusting his newly gained Jonin vest, fitted over a nondescript blue uniform he sweated slightly under the Hokage's intense stare. A bead of sweat formed where his sunglasses rested against his temple, sliding slowly down the side of his face.

"Ebisu-kun, I have an assignment for you. I can't classify it as a mission as you won't be leaving the village, well… not in the near future anyway." As he said that the Hokage tossed a file envelope across his desk and motioned to Ebisu to open it. Opening it he began to read its contents. It was a standard ninja dossier.

"Lord Hokage, this is… _that_ child?"

"Yes Ebisu-kun, Naruto Uzumaki. He is to be your student, due to the council's actions he has been banned from a standard education. I have recruited him as an Anbu candidate, and under my authorization you are to begin his training immediately. You will need to begin with the basics, as he has been disallowed from even basic education. I will need you to assess his current status today and then report back to me on your findings so that we can develop a suitable plan for his development. "

"With all due respect sir, I do not-" Ebisu was interrupted before he could finish his protest. "I'm not interested in your reasons Ebisu-kun, you are a talented ninja, and this is an important assignment. As he is a potential Anbu member, his training is to be kept absolutely secret. You will be using my clan's personal training fields for this. Any materials or other resources that you need I will provide. That is all."

With a nod Ebisu acknowledged his orders. The Hokage had made it clear, this was what he would be doing, and neither failure nor poor performance would be tolerated.

"Lord Hokage where can I find Naruto-san then?" No sense in wasting time, he would take this opportunity to prove his skills to his village and turn a boy with no future into a respectable ninja of Konoha. As he asked his question the door opened behind him.

"Ah, there he is now, thank you Bear." The anbu that followed the young blonde boy in simply nodded his head slightly before closing the door and disappearing out of sight. Ebisu took this moment to examine the young boy standing nervously several feet to his left.

Short. Too short, and scrawny, telltale signs of malnourishment, poor posture and he seemed very depressed. Messy blob of blonde hair that practically screamed 'look at me!' and not to mention his orange body suit. Yes, that would have to go. Immediately.

"Naruto-kun" began the Hokage, a kind smile on his face, his tone light and warm. "This is Ebisu-kun. He will be your instructor. I expect you to listen to him, respect him and do your best to learn from him, do you understand me?" The boy nodded his head, looking pensively at the tall man next to him.

"Hi… I'm Naruto…" he said, doing his best to smile normally at the man. Ebisu regarded the young boy silently. Fear. Uncertainty. Nervousness. The boy 's eyes looked older than they should, like they had seen and felt far more than any boy should. They reminded him of Itachi Uchiha's eyes. He was sure that smile had fooled many people, possibly even the Hokage himself, but Ebisu had trained for this, he knew what was really behind that smile.

Despair. Desperation. Hopelessness.

It was to be expected; the boy was shunned, had no friends, was picked on by other children and had no one to care for him. Despite what may be sealed inside him, this boy was no demon, and Ebisu knew, even if he had the chance, he would not refuse this opportunity.

"Naruto-kun" Ebisu said, smiling softly at the boy. "Don't smile at me, unless you mean it." The look of shock on the boy's face was expected. "Hopefully in the near future, I can see your genuine smile." Confused, the young boy just stared at him.

"Ebisu-kun, could you please wait outside a moment?" Nodding his head, Ebisu moved to the door and let himself out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Naruto-kun, I am sorry to say but you won't be able to join the ninja academy with the rest of the children." The look of confusion on Naruto's face was not missed by Sarutobi.

"But I thought you said that Sunglasses was gonna be my instructor?" Naruto whined, clearly struggling to figure out what was happening.

"Allow me to explain then, Naruto-kun. The council would not let you join the academy for reasons that I cannot tell you right now. But I promise to in the future when you are ready. Instead I have made you an Anbu candidate, something not normally done until someone is of at least chunin rank. Ebisu-kun will be training you alone. You will complete most of your training at my private training field where you will not be bothered by any trouble makers. This will be very intensive training Naruto, I need you to give this your very best and get strong. Do you understand how ninja's are ranked Naruto?"

Naruto had sat patiently listening to this point and could only shake his head in response, still recovering from the news. He was going to be a ninja! The old man kept his promise! He was quivering with excitement and wanted to do nothing more than jump around shouting whatever came to mind. But the old man was still talking, so he forced himself to listen.

"We rank ninja based on their abilities and strength, starting with the lowest level, known as genin. These are the ninja that have just graduated from the academy, have only basic skills and are just learning what it truly means to be a ninja and work in a team. Next we have chunin, who are a step above genin in terms of power and is only given to those who can demonstrate the ability to make proper decisions in any situation, lead others and put their village before themselves. Above that we have jonin and then anbu. Jonin are elite ninja, those we trust to protect the village, handle the most dangerous missions and also train our future." The hokage paused to take a sip of water from a glass sitting on his desk before continuing.

"Anbu are the special forces, they are the strongest of the strong and the most dedicated of loyal ninja's, doing whatever is necessary for the sake of the village. When no one else can do it, we trust the anbu to get it done. Anbu is the group to which you will belong should you choose to continue this, though that decision is far away in the future. Because of what they do whenever an anbu is on duty they must wear a mask, due to what is required of them at times it is important that they have that semblance of anonymity, otherwise the very people we depend on wouldn't be able to enjoy their lives outside of their duties. Do you understand all this so far Naruto?" The boy nodded his head, not completely sure of everything the old man had said but understood the basics of who was who.

"But aren't anbu like really strong? I'm just a kid…and all of the mask people I know are adults."

Sarutobi smiled at the young boy happy that the normally hyperactive Naruto had been following along with everything he said. "Well I don't expect you to get that strong anytime soon. But I think it's reasonable to expect you to be as strong as the average chunin by the time the children that would have been your classmates graduate and become genin. " Pausing a moment he stared into the boy's eyes, his face set in a serious look. "Naruto I need you to understand this and commit yourself too it. This will be intensive, harder than anything you've ever experienced before. The only thing you are going to be doing for the next few years is train, rest, and train some more. I'm asking you to give up what's left of your childhood Naruto."

The boy stared at him for a moment, face scrunched up as if he was thinking hard. "I'm not sure what a childhood is old man. But I don't think I'll miss it."

"Very well then Naruto, Ebisu-kun is waiting for you in the hallway, from now on please refer to him as 'Sensei'" The boy nearly flew out of the chair he was sitting in, ripping the door open before looking back at the hokage watching him. "Thanks old man!" Naruto shouted before slamming the door shut behind him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared down at the paperwork that officially made Naruto an anbu candidate and assigned Ebisu as his personal instructor.

"_I'm not sure what a childhood is old man. But I don't think I'll miss it."_

A bitter tear slid down his left cheek, splashing silently onto the paperwork.

"Forgive me Minato, I don't know what else to do."

Ebisu walked into the Hokage's office the next day, wearing a serious expression and carrying a small scroll in his left hand.

"Ah Ebisu-kun welcome, what can I do for you today?" Sarutobi asked, setting aside a mission report he had been reading as the jonin entered his office.

"I have the report you requested on Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama." Ebisu replied, handing the small scroll the Hokage before standing at attention. "Naruto-kun is severely malnourished; I believe his growth has been negatively affected by this as well. It seems he only eats at Ichiraku's, a ramen stand near his home as no other establishment will serve him. It's not a problem that he eats only there so long as what he eats contains the proper nutrition he needs, however such a menu would cost considerably more than he has available to him. I am hoping we can set up some kind of billing or charge system so that he can get the necessary nutrition to grow and train properly. I will also be instructing him on basic food preparation and in the future would like to see him preparing his own meals as much as possible."

Taking a deep breath he waited for the hokage to nod before he continued. "Physically he is weak for his age, and is far too thin. His muscle tone is severely lacking and will take considerable effort to bring up to a satisfactory level. He seems to possess near limitless energy though so I am confident we can improve his physical condition quickly. As a test I showed him how to channel chakra with a ram seal to test the development of his chakra system. Despite his handicaps I was very surprised, he seems to possess chakra reserves on par with the average genin. Due to his… condition I can only surmise that his chakra capacity will continue to grow rapidly from this point, and to avoid severe problems with chakra control later on will need to start training him immediately on chakra control specifically to counter that."

Sarutobi silenced Ebisu with a wave of his hand before looking up at the man. "If his chakra is already this high, he will need more than simple exercises to help him control it. You should probably start training him in the basic three as well, though sparingly, the most important thing we need to do is get the boy literate and give him a basic understanding of the world around him."

Ebisu nodded his head before speaking. "I agree, and will incorporate that into his lessons as I can. I did not test him for taijutsu aptitude at this time as I feel it would do more harm than good until I can train his body up to an acceptable level to endure that. That concludes my report." Ebisu stood at attention, watching the Hokage read through the scroll one more time.

"Very well" Sarutobi muttered, then looked at Ebisu. I will arrange for the anbu training program to cover Naruto's food expenses with Ichiraku's. Please give them a menu of what he needs to be eating, I'm sure they will be happy to help out." Looking around amid the paperwork on his cluttered desk the Hokage pulled a single sheet of paper out of the mess. "Take this, it's the information for the billing account to charge any equipment needs to, please make sure to get him the equipment he will need for his training."

"Ah yes, would that include new uniforms Hokage-sama?" _Please Please Please Please_

"As long as it isn't orange." Sarutobi replied, images of orange jumpsuits danced in his head.

_Kill it with fire!_

Four anbu promptly appeared in the room. "Hokage-sama! What is the problem!" Bear asked worriedly. It was only then Sarutobi realized he had flared his chakra in response to the disturbing image in his mind. Ebisu was as white as a ghost.

"No, that'll be fine. I just hate the color orange." Four anbu cocked their heads slightly sideways, unsure of how to take that statement before disappearing into separate swirls of leaves.

"I will expect monthly reports Ebisu-kun, though please let me know immediately if you need anything."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

_July 30__th_

_Hokage-sama, _

_This is your monthly report of Naruto-kun's training. Though it has only been a month since we started his progress has been very impressive. I cannot say that he is gifted with great intelligence, but at the least average. His hiragana and katakana are progressing well, and basic mathematics skills are coming along as well, he should be able to handle simple financial transactions soon I think. I have begun teaching him a limited amount of history while doing physical training, though he doesn't seem to retain that kind of knowledge well I think repetition will help greatly. Physically in this last month he has improved greatly, his stamina never ceases to amaze me, nor his appetite. He is starting to develop some real muscle tone, and I have noticed that he seems to recover extremely quickly from minor injuries, which I think is also part of the reason for his rapid muscle development. Another attribute of his condition I suppose. He finally seems to be starting to trust me. He seems very lonely._

_January 29__th_

_Hokage-sama, _

_It has now been six months since the start of Naruto's training. I have started teaching him the basic anbu taijutsu style as you requested in lieu of the academy style. Though I myself am not proficient in the style the anbu known as Weasel has been very helpful. His chakra control is still struggling, and he has yet to produce an acceptable bunshin. You may be right concerning his chakra levels and if he does not improve I will go ahead and teach him the kage bunshin as you suggested. His basic academic skills now exceed the minimums for the ninja academy so I will be leaving any further advancement in those areas to his own discretion during non-training time. He is also now learning proper throwing techniques for kunai, shuriken and senbon. He can now prepare some basic meals and I will be requiring him to make meals at home on a limited basis, which will increase as his proficiency does. The meditation exercises are helping him control his emotions better and keep better focus during training. I wish he could associate with peers his own age but at this time I feel you are still correct that it would not be to his emotional benefit. He is only seven after all, and children can be especially cruel in their ignorance._

_June 30__th_

_Hokage-sama,_

_Naruto has finally produced a functional bunshin! It took a lot of work but the kage bunshin technique apparently helped give him the feel for how to do it. His chakra control is still horrible, but there is improvement. He is progressing well in his Taijutsu, even without Weasel around to help him out with that. I'm hoping to get Bear or even Inu to help out in that regard, if you could assist in that it would be helpful. The time that was spent on ninjutsu theory is now being spent on tactics and planning, and I feel that we will be stuck on these subjects for a quite some time. Naruto is very talented at improvising and in our spars has shown remarkable creativity with the basic 3 and kage bunshin techniques. Naruto will need new uniforms again soon, he's growing remarkably well. Aside from the tactics and planning instruction I'm going to focus all of his training time on strengthening his body and working on his chakra control. I would rate his chakra reserves as being very high for a genin, perhaps even equivalent to that of a weak chunin. _

_February 27__th_

_Hokage-sama,_

_Naruto as you know is now eight years and four months old. I can say at this time that Naruto can easily pass the basic requirements of the genin exam. He will have a lot of work ahead of him to achieve the goal of chunin equivalency in the next four years. I feel that he is at a bit of a plateau at the moment, while we certainly could train him harder and achieve the goal in less time, he's just not ready. He's eight, not twelve. I am going to shift his training somewhat into developing some hobbies, and focus more time on history and the social structure of the village. He now has enough self-control that I think he can truly benefit from those lessons finally. I will certainly maintain his skills and we will spar and perform chakra control exercises still, but for now his mind needs to catch up to his body. Naruto is not a weapon after all, he is a ninja of Konoha._

_February 27__th_

_Hokage-sama,_

_In half a year Naruto will be ten. He has been progressing well with the wind jutsu, and can now create gusts strong enough to deflect weapons or knock back opponents. Despite wind being his dominant nature his chakra control is as always the issue hindering him. It seems like every time he makes a breakthrough in control his reserves spike and then his control is affected. It feels like every time we take two steps forward we are forced one step back. Naruto still has no friends, I agree that taking him with you on trips to the academy may benefit him, if only in helping him get used to working with people his own age. Please inform Jiraiya-sama that his chakra still appears to be stable, and that earth technique , the mud wall one that he showed Naruto is nearly mastered. Again his chakra control is an issue, but I am beginning to wonder if the spikes in his capacity correspond to his growth spurts. I have not tracked it up till now but will in the future._

_October 19__th_

Hokage-sama_,_

_This report is a few weeks early but I trust it will be a nice start to your day. Today Naruto successfully performed the Konoha shunshin, along with finishing the first step of the mystic palm technique. I doubt he will ever have the chakra control to do anything but the smalled amount of regeneration with that jutsu but the generation of medical chakra is confirmed. With the Shunshin finished he has completed all the technical requirements for the rank of chunin. The experience requirements will be handled soon as I start taking him on missions, however the requirements you needed fulfilled for the official Anbu acceptance are now complete and I have signed off on the appropriate paperwork, included with this scroll. _

Hiruzen Sarutobi set the scroll he had been reading down and reached into the lower right drawer of his desk, pulling out a plain white mask. Unlike standard anbu masks this one did not carry an identifying animal shape on it. It was the mask of an anbu cadet, a ninja who had met the requirements to be tested and trained and had been chosen by the best Konoha had to offer. It was an honor most never received, only the most dedicated and promising were offered the chance. Most declined.

"Bear."

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Assemble your team and bring me Naruto Uzumaki. We will need the marker as well." If Bear didn't know any better, he would think the old man sounded sad.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

One hour later, Naruto Uzumaki stood before the Hokage of Konoha, the village hidden in leaves. Surrounding him and the hokage were five anbu, watching silently. A sixth Anbu stood next to the Hokage, his mask completely black.

"Naruto Uzumaki, do you swear to protect Konoha and all its citizens, obey your Hokage and adhere to all the tenets and regulations that govern the anbu black ops teams?"

"I do." There was no hesitation, only a fierce determination as Naruto's eyes met the Hokage's eyes.

"Very well, then accept the seal that is proof of your loyalty and membership, until such time as you wish to be relieved of your duties." Following the protocol of the ceremony he had been instructed in by Ebisu, Naruto turned until his left shoulder was facing the man in the black mask, the black tank top he was wearing gave the man the access he needed to the skin of his left shoulder. He hissed in pain as the man began tattooing the leaf seal onto his shoulder with the chakra ink. The seal was intricate and took slightly more than an hour to finish. When finished the man in the black mask flashed through 6 hand signs before declaring "Sealing technique" and slamming a chakra engulfed hand onto the tattoo on Naruto's shoulder. The seal bonded itself to naruto as he cried out in pain before passing out.

Naruto woke a moment later and stood up, scratching the back of his head as he grinned at Sarutobi.

"Eh… sorry about that old man."

Sarutobi could only chuckle at the young man's antic's. "Don't worry about it, the sealing is a bit of a shock at first after all, you aren't the first to be overwhelmed by it. " The hokage brought his hands around from behind his back, to reveal two items he had been hiding. "This is your mask as a cadet, it is plain to symbolize that you are just beginning as an anbu, and have not developed who you are as an anbu yet. While you are only required to wear the mask during missions outside of Konoha, it is recommended you wear it whenever in public if you are in uniform, simply to get used to having it on. " Handing Naruto the mask he continued. "This is your katana. All anbu are required to carry and be proficient in their katana. Ox there will begin your training tomorrow morning in basic kenjutsu. Take care of your katana and it will take care of you. Bear will show you the various locker stations we keep throughout the village where you may restock supplies and uniforms. Always keep one uniform sealed and with you at all times. You are only off duty if you are not needed, which can change at any time."

Smiling with pride the Hokage looked down on his newest anbu. "The package on the desk behind me is your first uniform. Even as a cadet you are expected to dress as anbu when on duty, this includes training. Present yourself tomorrow morning at 8am. Your first mission will be to accompany me to class inspections at the academy." The rest of the anbu disappeared, each tasked with notifying the rest of the teams with the news of the new cadet. As Naruto grabbed the bag sitting on the Hokage's desk the aging man had one final thing to say.

"Naruto, your one step closer to your dream. I'm proud of you."

Flashing a brilliant smile the blonde replied "Thanks old man!" before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.


	2. Sunshine and daisies

Disclaimer: yup don't own Naruto.

A/N: So here's chapter 2, I basically started from scratch after realizing halfway through chapter 3 that the way I had set things up did not put Naruto into the frame of mind I really needed him in for this to work. So yesterday morning I started from scratch, and then I went to the park and played with my kids, lost their ball in a pond...anyways it was a nice break and I was able to finish this up after letting my mind wander for a bit. Chapter 3 won't be out for... a week or two most likely, as at this point Naruto will being interacting with the rest of the rookie 9. (I know I know there's only 8 with naruto not in a team but i'll take care of that eventually so just trust me.) As I was saying it will take a while as I am anticipating some fun times keeping everyone in character in relation to a Naruto they've never known who's not necessarily an idiot and is somewhat usefull. I feel like I sorta breezed over the fights a bit more than I needed to probably but I think I can trust you, dear reader to imagine the fights well enough based off of the information provided :) Hope you enjoy it, feel free to review, it's nice to know if I'm doing well or if I'm screwing up something horribly without realizing it ;p

And Yes, I realize that Sarutobi is a bit long winded in this chapter but it was the best way to explain things that fit well enough into the story.

* * *

It was still dark out when he woke up, the chill air of the room reminding him that it would be time to bring out the heavier futon soon. Standing up he shivered slightly as he noticed the time on the alarm clock sitting on his dresser. Six am, plenty of time for breakfast and a nice warm up on the way to the tower. It was his first day as an anbu cadet, his first mission was in two hours.

"Guess it wouldn't hurt to be early today" he muttered to himself while putting two slices of bread into the toaster, a shadow clone pouring a glass of milk behind him. Wolfing down his toast a moment later he made his way into the bathroom and took a quick shower before putting on his new uniform. It was simple yet effective, a black two piece body suit with just enough slack as to not hinder movement, a lightweight grey body armor that wouldn't stop much more than shuriken and then finally the grey plated arm guards. It took him a few minutes to get the arm guards to sit just right; he would have to see about getting some adjustments made to the straps later. Next he strapped his kunai and shuriken pouch to his right leg where he usually kept it, his utility pouch holding scrolls and wire resting on his left hip. Lastly he put on his katana, having a clone help him attach and secure the scabbard securely to his back; he would figure out exactly how he wanted it once he knew more about how to use it.

Opening the window in the living room of his apartment he created a shadow clone before jumping outside, the shadow clone closed the window behind him before dispersing. Taking to the roof tops he took his time on the way to the Hokage's tower in the center of the village, it was still early and there was no need to rush. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon and he stopped to watch it for a moment, thinking it would be nice to try painting that next time he had a chance. Ebisu had insisted as part of his training that he take up several hobbies. Naruto had fought hard against it, thinking it a waste of time better spent training but Ebisu had been adamant that he give it a chance. In the end he found cooking and painting to be relaxing once he gave them a chance. He was terrible at painting, and struggled with seemingly every aspect of it. Most of the time he destroyed whatever he had painted, but still he couldn't ignore that it did seem to help him calm down and relax, so he stuck with it.

Cooking he enjoyed mostly because he got to eat the results, and his never-ending appetite gave him plenty of opportunities to practice. His only limitations up till now had been having spare money for ingredients and the limited number of places he could shop without using a henge.

"Hurry up forehead!" the shout caught his attention, shaking him from his musings. It came from the next street over, probably some academy students who were running late. Fitting his mask over his face he hopped over to the source of the noise. It never hurt to be curious, after all.

"I'm coming pig!" Sakura Haruno shouted in reply to her friend and class mate Ino Yamanaka. Shoulder length pink hair bounced as she ran down the street, a collection of scrolls crushed against a bento as she raced to catch up to her class mate. In her haste she didn't notice a small scroll slip out from between the larger ones, landing quietly on the ground as she ran towards the academy.

Naruto landed on the now empty street and picked up the scroll that lay forgotten there. He looked up in annoyance in the direction the girls ran off to.

"Seriously, how can she wear that and call herself a ninja?" The pink hair could be excused, if it was natural, but the bright red dress? It wasn't as bad as the orange he used to wear, but he expected better of academy students. Sighing he took to the roofs again to chase the girl down and give her the scroll she had dropped, it wasn't like he was running late like they were.

Sakura and Ino were almost to the academy's front gates when a swirl of leaves in front of them signaled the arrival of someone. Stumbling to a stop they both stared in shock in front of them as an anbu, one of the elite ninja of the village was walking towards them! They're teacher Iruka had always told them that if they were ever approached by an anbu to do whatever was asked of them because anbu acted only for the sake of the village.

"eh… forehead… doesn't this anbu seem… short?" Sakura could only turn to her friend, horrified that she had just insulted an anbu, her mother had always told her that anbu were scary and to avoid them.

"I'm not short, just young." The masked ninja said quietly causing both girls to jump. Neither had noticed him standing right next to them.

"Here" the anbu said, thrusting a scroll on top of the pile in Sakura's arms. "You dropped this back there, be more careful in the future." Then he was gone, both girls blinked before looking around.

_That was weird…_ both girls thought as they shrugged and started walking into the academy.

"Hey pig…that anbu had blonde hair, was he a relative of yours? " Ino shook her head in response, "couldn't be, Dad doesn't allow any of the clan to join anbu." As they entered their class Sakura couldn't help but think that blonde hair was somehow familiar.

* * *

Naruto entered the hokage tower and moved to the reception area. Another anbu member was, there and by his mask Naruto knew that this was the Ox person that would be his kenjutsu trainer. The man walked up to him before leaning down slightly.

"Good morning Mask-kun, I understand you will be with Hokage-sama this morning for an academy visit, please come find me at training ground 44 when you are finished so that we may begin your training." After delivering his message Ox left before Naruto had a chance to reply.

"Sure, see you there…" he muttered quietly to himself.

* * *

A group of students sat on the roof of the academy, some excited and some bored, but all watching the Hokage standing in from of them. He was decked out in his full hokage attire, from the robes to the triangle hat. To his left stood their sensei, a chunin named Iruka who wore a standard chunin suit and vest.

"Good morning to you all, today I would like to start by reciting a poem to you. I won't tell you to memorize it, but when you are grown up I want you to think back and recall the words of this old man. It's a poem about a certain way of thinking that is sure to be useful to you in your future and concerns the will of fire." Pausing briefly he looked around at class, smiling kindly before continuing.

"In the place where the leaves dance, the fire burns.

The shadow of the fire shines on the village.

Once again, new leaves sprout."

Seeing the confused faces of the children in front of him he chuckled softly. "I don't expect you to understand the meaning of it now, eventually I believe you all will." Looking towards Iruka the Hokage gave a nod before continuing.

"You are all at the beginning of your third year in the ninja side of the academy. Up till now you have all learned history, theory and spent time developing both your chakra and your bodies. Starting this year you will begin learning taijutsu and basic ninjitsu. You will also begin learning how to combine those two aspects for use in combat. There are other things you will also learn but it is upon these two things which I wish to speak." A sudden burst of inspiration had the hokage grinning. "Iruka-san, if possible could we relocate to one of the training fields here? Perhaps a demonstration may interest your students more than the words of an old man."

Looking suddenly started the young instructor thought for a moment. "The northern field should be free right now Hokage-sama." The chunin was beginning to wonder who would be doing the 'demonstrating.'

Once the class had settled on the bleachers sitting on the side of the training field the Hokage walked out to the center of the field, a suddenly very nervous chunin following him. The students were excited, learning forward on the bunches, whispering back and forth.

"Hey forehead do you think Hokage-sama is really gonna spar with Iruka-sensei?"

"Hey Ino keep it down I think they're gonna start!"

"Shut up kiba! I'm talking to forehead!"

"Arf!"

"Quit arguing it's troublesome…"

Smiling the hokage turned to Iruka, who tensed up, the man looked pale. "Relax Iruka-san, I happen to have brought someone along with me today, a spar with you should prove to be very entertaining."

Iruka looked around, wondering if maybe Hokage-sama had hit his head earlier, there was no one else there.

"Mask-kun, stop being so shy." He knew he probably shouldn't tease the poor kid on his first mission as a cadet, but it wasn't often he got to watch the younger generations spar, and it was something he missed from his days as a sensei. A swirl of leaves announced Naruto's entrance as he kneeled quietly next to Sarutobi. A collective gasp from the students signaled their understanding of what Naruto was. Iruka stiffened slightly, it was one thing to spar with Hokage-sama, ok frightening really, but he knew the hokage to be a kind man, and wasn't worried about serious injury. Anbu on the other hand? It was their job to injure, kill, and do whatever was needed, self-restraint was not a requirement and rarely an expectation of the job.

"Hey isn't he a bit short for an anbu?" shouted a boy from the stands, a white dog sitting on his head.

"Kiba! Show some respect for your superiors!" Iruka shouted at him. The hokage momentarily wondered if Iruka may have some hyuuga blood in him the way his eyes had gone completely white suddenly. After a hearty laugh at the scene the hokage walked over and sat down on the bleachers among the students.

"He is only a cadet at the moment Iruka-san, I'm sure that a seasoned chunin such as yourself will make for an adequate sparring partner. Mask-kun, I'm going to ask that you limit the use of wide are jutsu, we don't need you destroying this training field."

"Of course, Hokage-sama" Naruto replied quietly. _Spoilsport_ he thought to himself.

"De…. Destroy… training field?" Sarutobi turned to the young Hyuuga girl sitting next to him.

"Ah, you must be… eh let's see… it was… Hidana… no … Hinata I believe, yes?" The girl nodded politely, blushing in embarrassment that the Hokage knew her name. "Yes, Mask-kun is quite powerful, he could level every tree in this training ground quite easily if he wished to, his chakra is truly amazing for his age." Smiling, he looked out at the two waiting on the field. "Begin!" he shouted.

Iruka charged, pulling three shuriken and a kunai out of his pockets. The Hokage's words had given him courage. A cadet couldn't be that strong, right? Throwing the shuriken forward towards his opponent he followed with by throwing the kunai to the left the anbu. His now free hands forming signs before he breathed deep, expelling a stream of fire up in into the air where his opponent would have to jump to avoid the projectiles. Except Naruto didn't jump up. Years of practicing had reduced the time needed to form the wind release: great breakthrough to only as long as it took him to draw a breath. Jumping backwards his hands flipped through five signs as he inhaled deeply, chakra in his feet grabbing the ground as he exhaled. The resulting shockwave of wind tossed aside the shuriken like toys and blasted Iruka off his feet.

Iruka rolled and was on his feet as Naruto sped in to attack. He had been nice and gave the instructor the first chance to attack. Fingers forming a cross sign four clones appeared, moving to spread out and surround the chunin instructor.

"Mask-kun!" shouted Sarutobi "No A rank techniques please!" The four clones promptly disappeared.

Annoyed, Naruto moved in and engaged the instructor, kunai in each hand. By virtue of experience and his far more matured body Iruka was able to keep the young cadet on equal terms. Punches and kicks, taken and given they continued this for nearly a minute, naruto's unpredictable attacks and speed barely standing up to the chunin's obvious experience and greater physical strength. Separating Iruka fired off another fire jutsu as he retreated backwards, the grand fireball catching the young anbu mid jump where he couldn't evade. Several students gasped as what appeared to be a body hit the ground still on fire, the flames dying down to reveal a slightly burnt log. "Replacement technique, one of the basic techniques you will be learning soon" the Hokage commented as he watched. Suddenly Naruto dropped down from a tree near the burnt log and drew a kunai and turned towards the students sitting on the sideline. Iruka's heart nearly stopped as he saw the anbu throw a kunai straight at Sakura Haruno. His retreat had brought him close enough to the bleachers that he was able to intercept the kunai, as it passed right through his body. "A bunshin!" he shouted in dismay, as Sakura stood up from the bleachers and pressed a kunai to his throat. Stiffening he turned his head slightly to see his student holding the weapon to his throat, and confused when he caught sight of her up on the third row sitting next to the uchiha boy, mouth wide open in shock. The Sakura behind him grinned, before poofing back into the anbu he had been fighting.

Lowering his arms he sighed. "I give up." The kunai instantly left his throat and was put away in a pouch on the young man's right leg. Stepping away from the bleachers the smiling hokage turned back to the students. "Replacement, Bunshin and Henge. These three techniques are the basic combat techniques you will learn in the academy soon. Replacement obviously is used to escape an attack, Bunshin, or clone is used to distract or confuse the enemy and the henge allows you to look like something else. Along with taijutsu these techniques are what will allow you to fulfill your duties as ninja of Konoha and survive whatever awaits you in the future. Make sure to apply yourselves fully to learning and mastering everything offered to you from now till graduation." Turning to the young cadet at his side he said "Mask-kun, that will do for now, good luck with your training." Nodding, Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "Now are there any questions before this old man goes back to his office?"

Only one hand raised, most of the class still digesting the fight in their minds.

"Yes uhm…."

"Shikamaru Nara, Hokage-sama."

"Ah thank you Shikamaru-kun, now what is your question?"

"How old was that anbu?" Sarutobi smiled.

"Ah so you noticed, very impressive. The truth is, that young man is the same age as most of you, he turned 10 just recently." A collection of surprised gasps and several cries of 'what?' resulted from that admission. "Strength is not measured in age alone, nor in experience. That boy has trained to the point of collapse every single day for the last five years to get to where he is now, all because he loves this village." The class was quiet after that comment, most wondering how strong they could have been if they trained the same way. After giving them a few minutes Iruka told them to go back to class and get ready for their next lesson in chakra use. Without a word they all marched back to class, apparently the knowledge that your sensei could breathe fire had somehow improved the class's obedience.

* * *

It was a bad day, he decided while taking a pull on his favorite pipe. Looking down at the mission request he knew it was the perfect opportunity, two bandits that were causing trouble on one of the southern trade roads about a day's travel from the village. A simple C rank mission, it called for the termination of the bandits, nothing more. It was only three weeks till Naruto's eleventh birthday, and he didn't want to push this onto the boy so close to his birthday. He didn't like how hard this would push the boy, but it was something that Naruto himself had committed too. Physical training had been all but forbidden by his trainers, the boy simply needed to wait for his body to mature more before he could gain any noticeable change through training. He could have the boy taught in all kinds of jutsu, however it was pointless if he would never use them. Until the boy had developed more mentally and had more experience to know what style suited him best, it was a waste of time to teach him techniques. It all came back to waiting on him to grow physically and his need to grow mentally, whether he would admit to that or not.

Over the last six months Sarutobi had tried to get the boy to socialize in his time off, or at least spend time relaxing and enjoying the sights, anything other than meditation and training. All attempts had failed, even forcing him to take time off from his duties had been fruitless. He needed to shock the boy, to make him aware that there is more to life than getting stronger. He knew life was a fragile thing, yet he didn't know it. Life was fragile, here one moment and gone the next, and as much as the Hokage hated it, and as much as Naruto was simply too young, the boy needed to see that.

"Bear, have Mask-kun report for a mission at eleven." Nodding the anbu disappeared to deliver the message. Pushing a button on his desk, Sarutobi looked up as his secretary opened the door a moment later.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Mina-chan, please have Ebisu-kun report for a mission immediately."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Your first kill was a rite of passage for ninja, a necessary and unavoidable part of the job. Sarutobi sighed and took a strong pull on his pipe. Naruto's time had come far too soon. All he could do was hope he wasn't making a mistake and trust the young man who could always smile.

* * *

It had taken them two days to find the bandit's makeshift camp, their first attempt to draw them out by posing as traders had failed as the two men had apparently robbed a wagon earlier and had walked away with a nice supply of food. They were both sitting around a campfire lazily eating some dried fish and noisily drinking from sake bottles. Enjoying themselves thoroughly they never noticed the two ninja drop down silently to the ground behind the two. He moved just how he had been trained to, silently sneaking up behind the man, his partner doing the same to the other. Reaching forward he grabbed the man's dirty messy hair and yanked his head back, exposing the throat and slashing it open without thinking. The man had panicked and grabbed Naruto's arm, fear filled eyes staring up at him as his lifeblood gurgled out of his neck, spilling out over his simple tunic. The eye contact had frozen him, his eyes taking in every detail, every sound imprinted on his mind and the smell of blood overwhelming his nostrils. It took only a moment, then the man's eyes darkened as his body slumped, fingers losing their grip on his arm as the man's corpse slid to the ground. He stood there, staring. Dead, the man was dead, only minutes earlier he had been laughing and joking with his friend. Now he was lying on the ground, not breathing. Not laughing. Turning Naruto ran, mask yanked from his face as the contents of his stomach were emptied onto the ground just outside the camp. He felt horrible. He had done it. He had taken that life, it was gone now, that man would never laugh again.

"Mask-kun" Ebisu said gently, reminding him that he was still on mission. He slid his mask back into place before turning to his former sensei. "We're done here, let's go home." With a nod they were off, neither speaking again until they had made it to the gates of Konoha.

Naruto and Ebisu walked out of the hokage tower, each ready to go home and rest after the misson report was completed.

"Nar-… eh… Mask-kun…"Ebisu struggled to find the right words, A person's first kill was rarely easy to deal with. "Killing doesn't make you a bad person, nor does it make you a monster… but remember that feeling, remember the pain. It's the proof that you are a good person." Ebisu patted the young man's shoulder, before nodding and turning to head home.

Naruto took to the roof tops, heading home. He suddenly felt the need to paint. Arriving home he stripped off his gear and the blood covered vest, then walked straight to the canvas set up in the corner of his living room and started mixing paints. A short time later he stumbled into his bedroom, hot tears in his eyes before he crashed down on his bed. In the living room a picture sat drying on the easel. A right hand clutching a kunai was depicted, covered in blood.

Naruto didn't sleep that night.

* * *

The clang of katana's striking each other sounded clear in the early morning, the slight fog that hung in the air a sign that winter was on the way. Ox stopped the exchange, looking down at Mask as he stood there, waiting for instruction. It was the boy's first day back after a forced one week leave following his first kill. His attacks were hesitant, slow to execute and lacked power. Sighing he signaled for the boy to follow him. Ox took him into the tree's, deep enough to be out of sight of anyone nearby.

"Sit. Mask off." He ordered, pulling his off as well and sitting down on a log. The boy complied, slowly removing his mask and looking up at the older man, clearly confused. Ox stared back, hazel eye's met flinching blue ones.

"So tell me, every time you swing, chop or stab, you see the one you killed. Am I right?" The stunned look on the boy's face confirmed it for him.

"I just… I just can't get it out of my mind… he was so scared, and it was over so fast…" Naruto trailed off, lost in his thoughts.

"Get over it." The harsh tone of the rebuke shook the boy from his thoughts.

"Get over it? How the hell do I just get over it? I KILLED someone! You don't just get over that!"

"Yeah, your right, you never do get over it, not completely."

"SO THEN WHAT DO I DO?" the boy shouted back, on the verge of tears.

"Cry, scream, hit a training post, whatever you need to do. But when you draw a weapon, when your teammate is counting on you, when LIVES are at stake, you get over it. There is a time for grieving, and a time for surviving." The words while harsh resonated with him.

_When lives are at stake._

_Do you swear to protect Konoha and all its citizens?_

_Leaving them alive would put other lives at risk._

They were all good reasons, not that it made this any easier.

"Does it get easier?" Ox looked at the kid, he seemed small and weak at that moment, as if a slight wind was all it would take to shatter him.

"Yeah kid, it does. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing." Nodding his head, Naruto stood up.

"I think I'm gonna go home."

"Sure kid, don't forget your mask." Slipping his mask in place, Naruto jumped into the tree's, heading home.

Standing up himself, Ox slipped his mask back in place before slamming his fist into the tree behind him. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself down before heading home.

* * *

The tree's flew by as he jumped from branch to branch, the thick limbs of the deciduous forest making for great traveling conditions. His destination was the western border of fire country where he would be meeting up with a recon team to relay information back to the old man. Off to his left was a simple trade road which he had been traveling next to in the distance the road forked, one path heading west, the other road turning south. Dropping to the ground he kneeled and bit his thumb, performing the signs for a summoning technique. "Summoning technique" he muttered, as a small puff of smoke dispersed to show a small toad with symbols covering his belly. Moments later another Naruto appeared, this one wearing a backpack.

"What do you need Na… erhm Mask-san" the toad croaked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Get in his backpack, need you to store something for me." The one with the katana on his back replied. Nodding in understanding the toad hopped into the backpack that the kneeling clone held open to him. Looking to his clone Naruto said "hurry up and get back, the old man wanted us back as fast as possible." The clone left without a word, covering the last mile to the meeting point quickly.

The meeting point was a small field, not much more than a short break between the tree's and couldn't have been more than about twenty feet wide. Crouched in a tree on the edge of the tree line the clone waited. A figure crashed into view, rolling and coming up on to his feet running. The clone instantly dropped down to the ground to meet him, flipping the backpack around and releasing the latch holding the flap closed. A bloody hand suddenly shoved a large scroll in to the clone's hand, the toad automatically opening his mouth as the scroll was pushed into it. The scroll swallowed the frog looked up and the clone nodded. Forming a hand sign the toad disappeared. The clone looked up from the empty pack and froze in shock. It was Ox, his friend, the front of his uniform soaked in blood, his left hand clutching at his stomach.

"Get out of here kid, their coming." He hissed, turning and drawing his katana with his right hand. He knew he wasn't going to make it back from this one, but he could buy the kid time. "Get out of here!"

"Where's your team?" the boy asked, the tension in his voice evident as he moved up next to the man and drew two kunai.

"Dead, where's your blade?" The clone flinched.

"I'm a clone."

"Oh."

"Run, I'll slow them down." The clone sounded afraid, but stepped forward.

"I'm dead anyway kid. Let's buy you some time."

Three ninja's suddenly appeared, charging across the short field, kunai and shuriken flying ahead of them. Ox grunted as he took the hits, shielding the clone. "Blow… em..kid" He gasped, falling to his knees. The hand signs were so well practiced that he didn't even think of them anymore as he gathered breath in his clone lungs.

_Wind release: Great Breakthrough_

Because of the unique nature of the kage bunshin, the users chakra was split equally among the user and his or her clones. As a result, when only one clone is made, it has a significant amount of chakra at its disposal. Pouring all the chakra it had into the attack, the overloaded wind technique caught the pursuing ninja's by surprise, blasting them back into the forest behind them, one of them hitting a tree trunk with a sickening crunch.

He didn't get up.

The clone looked down at his friend, as he felt his time running out to see the flash of a kunai as Ox cut his own throat. Anbu must never allow themselves to be captured alive. Yes a medic nin could probably have saved him, but the only medic that might have shown up would be an enemy one. The clone dispersed as he watched his friend fall to the ground, dead.

Naruto gasped as the memories of the clone hit him, heat flaring in his eyes as he choked back tears. Jumping to the trees he poured chakra into his limbs, pushing himself as hard and fast as he could go. He had no way to know if he was being pursued, and had no intention of finding out. He was an hour into his run when the first kunai flew past him. Not even looking back he pushed himself harder, fingers forming a cross sign three copies of himself came into being, dropping back to locate his pursuers. One was killed seeing nothing. The second one caught a glance of one of them, there was blood on the man's left arm. Good, one of them was hurt. The third clone dispersed himself, after observing two ninja's pursuing him. Reaching into his hip pouch he sent four tags floating in the air behind him, counted to two and activated them, three clones popping into existence as he changed shifted to the left, hoping to ditch them in the confusion. The first clone to die had jumped through the cloud of smoke, straight into one of the pursuing rain ninja's. The second and third clone found the second ninja, sitting on a branch, his left arm missing. A kunai to the man's throat finished him off before the clones dispersed.

Absorbing the memories from his clones he again altered his course, now heading straight for Konoha. His mind occupied with the memory of his friend he missed the shuriken flying at him from behind, one of the lodging deep in his right thigh. Grunting in pain he missed the next branch and fell to the forest floor, a kunai lodging in his right shoulder as he yanked the shuriken out of his leg, jumping back up into the tree's. He couldn't pull the kunai out while running and focused on getting away, knowing he was no match for these men how had taken out his friend's team. His injured leg gave out on him as he landed on the next branch, he fell, slamming into a small pine tree which took the bulk of the impact for him. He rolled to his feet, analyzing his surroundings and trying to locate his pursuer.

_Distract him and run._ He thought to himself, forming a cross sign and creating fifty clones who jumped off in all directions. Jumping with them he came to a stop to see the rain nin standing in front of him. Naruto suddenly realized his mistake, cursing. In his haste to distract and get away, he had created clones that didn't reflect his injuries. All he had done is waste his chakra. He drew his katana with his left hand as one of his clones that had followed him landed behind him, yanking the kunai out of his shoulder. Hissing in pain he assumed a standard guard position, his leg was still damaged and attacking would be a mistake. The rain nin jumped into the air, flashing through hand signs as a black shape flashed past him, his head suddenly separating from his shoulders. Two figures dropped next to the surprised blonde as he recognized the uniforms they wore.

"Nice to see your still alive, Mask-kun" Bear said cheerfully, cleaning his blade before putting it away.

Leopard was already hoisting him onto Wolf's back, ignoring his protests as Bear landed next to them. "We were nearby and asked to escort you back, what happened?" He asked as they launched off the branch, moving towards Konoha.

"I don't know. Ox's team was attacked, and then they came after me, I killed one and you saw what happened with the last one." He hated not being able to tell them everything, but his orders were clear, no one was to know of the intel his toad was hiding.

"I see, and Ox?"

"He said his team was dead. I… saw him die." He nearly whispered the last part, the danger of pursuit momentarily behind him he could feel the heat in his eyes again. He blinked the tears back, dropping his head against Wolf's shoulder. "Where?" Bear asked, to which Naruto simply produced a small map with a marked location on it. Bear took the map and Disappeared. He could feel his leg wound stitching itself closed, shifting his leg slightly and felt no pain.

"Wolf-san, I'm fine, you can set me down."

"Just relax, we'll be home in a few hours." It wasn't so much reassurance as a simple command. Though his interactions with women had been limited, something inside of him was telling him it would be a bad idea to push the issue. Closing his eyes he tried to relax, as much as you can when being carried on someone's back, with a katana scabbard poking you in the stomach. He hadn't realized just how worn out he was from the day, but as the last of the adrenaline and endorphins left his system Naruto simply passed out.

Wolf hefted the boy a bit higher up on her back.

"He finally pass out?" Looking at Leopard she nodded.

"Don't know how he made it this far" he muttered, moving back up to take point.

* * *

Wolf had steered them towards the memorial stone on their way back into Konoha proper. Landing next to the familiar chakra she had felt earlier she slung the still unconscious boy off her back and deposited him in the Silver haired jonin's surprised arms. Leopard stood behind her waiting.

"Kakashi, I need you to take him to Hokage-sama now."

"Oh? There a reason you can't Wolf-chan?"

"Yeah my team isn't all back yet."

"And Mask-san here?"

"He's all that's left." She growled out before turning and jumping away into the tree's, leopard following after.

Looking down at the sleeping boy in his arms, Kakashi's stared at him for a moment.

"Well then I guess I'll take you to see Hokage-sama."

Inoichi Yamanaka pinch his nose in frustration, doing his best to tune out the two girls quietly arguing behind him. His little princess Ino was feuding with her best friend Sakura over the Uchiha boy they went to the academy with and his wife and oh so gently 'suggested' that he help them reconcile. He had brought them up to the hokage mountain, stopping at the convenience store that was oddly placed about halfway up the path to the top. The girls were now quietly eating their popsicles, the sugar free ones of course because of the diets they were apparently on and had settled for glaring at each other in the meantime. Their progress was halted at the edge of the sitting area outside of the store by Inoichi holding up his hand in front of the girls.

"Wait." The girls looked up at him curiously, following his now serious gaze down the path. A group of anbu walked slowly up, bearing caskets. A single anbu walked out front, noticeably shorter than his comrades, a crop of shockingly bright blonde hair visible behind his plain mask.

"Hey Dad what's go-"

"Quiet!" Inoichi hissed in reply. "Show some respect, those are the caskets of men and women who have died for the village." He whispered. "It's tradition, when an anbu falls in the line of duty the only ones who remember them are their comrades. There is no public grave for anbu. Team mates carry a single red rose, in honor of the blood spilled together. The rest carry a white rose in recognition of a brother or sister lost."

The meaning was not lost on Sakura or Ino. The boy out front, the one they remembered watching spar with Iruka-sensei a year ago was the only one carrying a red rose. His head tilted down. His uniform was torn in several places, like he had come straight from a battle.

"Why is his uniform torn up Yamanaka-san?" Sakura whispered quietly. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't put on his best one for a funeral.

"A thank you to his team mates, and proof that he fought alongside them." The man whispered back.

As the procession walked slowly by, Inoichi bowed, not standing back up till the procession had completely passed. The girls mimicked his actions. Turning the now solemn jonin led the girls following him back down the hill, somehow he didn't feel like dealing with their feud today.

"Dad, was there any reason that the first casket had a lot more people holding it?" Sakura had noticed that also but had a good guess as to why and kept silent.

"Most likely, that was the only one that had a body in it."

The girls were silent the rest of the walk back to their homes. Arguing over a boy just seemed kind of silly at the moment.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the hokage's office, waiting patiently outside for his summons.

"He will see you now, Mask-kun" the receptionist, Mina told him. Naruto thanked her then entered the office, closing the door behind him.

"Naruto-kun, good to see you, I wanted to talk to you about your role as a cadet." The old man stopped, gauging the reaction of the 12 year old standing in front of him. "As you know, the last group of genin to graduate from the academy, in fact the very class that had the pleasure of watching you spar with their instructor is proving to be a very promising group. " Picking up a stack of files on his desk he handed them to the blonde before continuing. "I like to think that your performance gave them some motivation to improve, despite their being several future clan heads in the group. They have all been progressing well in D rank missions and their various training regimes and will soon, at the discretion of their jonin sensei's start taking on some of the easier C rank missions." Pausing he waited for Naruto to nod in understanding before continuing.

"This has historically been the time of greatest loss of genin, as they begin to take on missions with actual combat expected and some learn that they are simply not meant for combat. While we have jonin sensei assigned to the teams to train them they are also meant to protect them, but of course nobody is perfect, nor can one person protect his students at all times. Every batch of teams we generally lose about 20% of our genin's to combat, whether by death or disabling injuries." Naruto was growing bored and wondering where this was going. The Hokage noticed the young man getting antsy and smiled.

"I'll get right to the point then. You present a unique opportunity, being an anbu cadet. I can't use you for more intensive missions as you simply need more time to grow, and again until you physically grow more intensive training is mostly useless. I will have you continue your current training to catch you up on the rest of what you missed in the academy, but whenever one of the genin teams is dispatched on a C rank mission, I will have you shadowing them, primarily to give me direct feedback on their performance. You will also be their backup, I will leave it up to your discretion how you act or if you act."

"So study… and play babysitter?" The Hokage couldn't help but laugh. "Naruto, you don't know how happy this old man is to hear you joke like that." In truth Naruto was annoyed, it sounded really boring just following a bunch of kids his age around that couldn't take care of themselves.

"The jonin sensei's will be aware of your presence but the genin will not be. I hope that your interference will not be needed, but be ready if it is."

"Of course, Hokage-sama"

"Naruto, I know I keep asking this, but it is important to me, so please entertain an old man's wishes this once. There is no point to protecting a village you aren't part of, make friends, have fun, and enjoy life more."

"How can I, when all they see is the demon?" he responded softly, pushing down the frustration that welled up inside him.

"At least with the mask on, they respect me. One day they will all recognize me for me, and I'll be the greatest Hokage that ever lived." With that last comment, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, thinking on the boy's words. He had always done his best to protect the boy from the village; but he couldn't help but feel that he had somehow still failed him.


	3. Healing, training and watching

A/N: Sooooooo it's been awhile… sorry about that, I will try to write more, but work and school get in the way quite often. I hope you enjoy the chapter, I have chapter 4 planned but not written.

Disclaimer: The only things I own are my ideas.

The team of genin and their instructor had been resting for 3 hours, three men lay tied and gagged, members of the Nara clan would be along in the morning to pick them up and handle their punishment. He had been sitting on this same branch for the last 3 hours, in this humid hell of a forest, ignoring the deer and birds and other annoying animals while he watched the 3 kids sleeping. Their red eyed sensei kept watch, obviously accustomed to losing a night's sleep here and there.

The team had mostly impressed him, the dog boy had tracked the poachers very quickly and the boy named Shino had swarmed them with bugs, the sight of three grown men convulsing on the ground screaming as their chakra was sucked out till all three passed out still gave him shivers. The hyuuga girl seemed competent but didn't really do anything, though he was pretty sure it was due to the other two being perfect for their delegated tasks. His eyes scanned the perimeter, hoping to find something interesting. Yeah, this was boring, babysitting sucked. Figuring it was late enough he hopped away from the sleeping team and their alert sensei. A quick nip of his thumb, a few handsigns and a rush of chakra later a small toad appeared in front him and promptly spit out a scroll into Naruto's waiting hand.

"Yo Naruto! Got a snack for me?" Gamakichi ALWAYS wanted a snack.

"No, but I promise to get you some when I'm back in the village. Did the old man say anything when he gave this to you?"

"Yeah, he said to have you open it immediately."

_Not like I wouldn't anyway._ "Thanks Gama, I'll summon you when I have some snacks for you, ok?"

"Gotcha, Later Naruto!" In a poof of white smoke the small orange toad was gone.

With his small friend gone Naruto opened the scroll from the Hokage. Inside was a simple containment seal, which he immediately released. Suddenly he had three scrolls and a map in his hand. One had his name, 'Mask', written on it, the next read 'Kakashi' and the last one had 'Kurenai' written on it. Opening the one the addressed to him he began to read.

_Mask-kun, _

_Kakashi Hatake's team has encountered complications to their mission, what should have been a C rank is now most likely closer to a B or possibly A rank. They are in the land of wave, I have provided a map with their expected path mapped out, and marked out the given location of the client's home. Please leave immediately upon receiving this to back them up. Included are messages for both Kurenai-san and Kakashi-san, please deliver them as soon as you are able. Good luck, and please hurry._

_-Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage._

Glancing at the map he noticed a circled area along the marked path that estimated where they would be tomorrow morning. At full speed he was most likely a full day away from them, and he would need to figure out a way across the water. Packing away the scroll to Kakashi Naruto shunshined directly into team 8's camp, startling Kurenai and bringing her to her feet, kunai in hand.

"Kurenai-san I'm sorry no time to explain, I'm needed elsewhere, here's a scroll, take it." Thrusting the scroll into her hand he turned and jumped back up into the tree branches, thankful for the near full moon providing just enough light to travel by.

For the second time in her life, and ironically in as many days Sakura Haruno was terrified that she may die. The situation was bad, Kakashi-sensei was trapped in Zabuza's water prison, Sasuke and Hideo were fighting one of his water clones, and she was guarding Tazuna. The aging bridge builder was himself feeling that he was going to die soon, and at the same time felt so guilty, those 3 young children, their blood would be on his hands.

Sasuke charged again, launching the last three shuriken he had and then drawing his last kunai, looking for an opening, any opening to get a hit in. Hideo was to his left, eye's bulging as his byakugan watched for anything that might give him an advantage. Sasuke ducked under the first swing of the clone's giant sword only to meet a knee to his face, he flew backwards, bouncing and sliding to a halt at Sakura's feet.

"Sasuke-kun!" She barely resisted the urge to run forward and help him up. A loud smack was heard as Hideo bounced into a tree, his body motionless on the ground afterwards. Sasuke suddenly rolled to a foot and dove away from Sakura, the Zabuza clone slamming his sword into the ground as Sasuke threw his last Kunai straight at the clone, just before he suddenly appeared behind Sasuke, landing a hand chop to the back of his head. The boy fell to the ground unconscious, not hearing the pained scream of his female teammate.

The kunai cut deep, penetrating almost to the hilt in her leg. She couldn't keep it back, and the scream coming from her throat elicited a deep laugh from the clone. Falling to a kneeling position Sakura grabbed her wounded leg, trying to staunch the flow of blood that was flowing out way too fast.

"First the old man then I'll play with the kids while you watch, and then finally you copycat!" The real Zabuza shouted, laughing as he watched his clone close in on the frightened old man. Tears ran down her face as she continued to cry in pain, not daring to remove the kunai, pressing her hands to her thigh around the weapon hoping that the bleeding would slow, already feeling lightheaded. _It's not fair, not like this._

A clang of steel and a splash of water caused her to jerk her head up, her vision filled with a blonde haired man wearing what looked like anbu armor, and then she passed out.

Finally he had found them. After reaching the town of wave and realizing they weren't there yet Naruto backtracked along the path they were expected to travel. He was a scant 30 minutes from the village when he heard the fighting. Landing on a tree barely 50 feet from the old man who looked like he was about to wet himself he noticed just how bad the situation was. Kakashi was caught in some kind of water ball, which that guy the big sword was holding. A clone of some type was tearing the two male members of the team apart, the Hyuuga boy was down and out, the uchiha just-

_Shit._ Forming four clones he tossed each an exploding tag and jumped forward, forming two more clones. The four with the tags stayed in the tree's moving around the small clearing team 7 was fighting in. Risking a shunshin he landed directly in front of the pink haired girl- Haruno was her name if he remembered right and blocked the clone's sword, prevening it from killing the man right behind her. His two clones landed directly behind the missing nin's clones, stabbing and dispelling what was apparently a water clone. He stepped forward as the two clones moved behind him, dropping to give the girl first aid, one of them pulling a small scroll out of a pocket on naruto's left leg before unsealing a basic first aid kit.

"It's deep boss, she's bleeding bad." Clone #1 reported.

"Bandage it as tight as you can, give her a blood pill, I'll be back in a sec." Turning his attention towards the amuzed missing nin in front of him Naruto noticed something familiar about the man. _I remember those goofy looking pads!_ He thought to himself.

"Your… hmmmm… Zabuza Momoki right?" Zabuza stared for a moment as the apparently very young anbu casually stood there in front of him.

"What do you want kid? Get out of the way and let me finish my job. Nothing personal but if you don't move I'm gonna have to kill you." Naruto smiled under his mask as the missing nin formed two water clones. Flashing through the handsigns for his second favorite jutsu Naruto exhaled a strong gale which whipped up dust and leaves, it wasn't strong enough to break Zabuza's grip on the water prison but it did what he needed it to do.

"Nice try kid." Naruto laughed in reply.

"Check it out, I can use clones too!" That's when he saw them. Four copies of the kid charging straight at him, the wind technique had just been a distraction! The clones were unarmed and his water clones tore them apart several feet in front of him. Each of the clones disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, leaving behind a small tag each that floated slowly to the ground. His eye's suddenly went wide in recognition as all four tags began sparking. Under his mask, Naruto grinned.

"Got ya." His right hand formed a simple command seal.

"Bang."

The explosions weren't that large, he didn't want to hurt Kakashi, but it was enough to knock the missing nin off his feet and force him to release the prison technique. Peering through the smoke he saw Kakashi already on the attack Naruto turned and dashed back to the wounded girl.

"Mud wall! Now!" the two clones jumped back as Naruto slid onto his knees next to the pink haired girl. Two solid walls of earth rose out of the earth, meeting in a v shape and shielding the two ninja's from the battle taking place between Kakashi and Zabuza on the lake. Immediately afterwards both clones each grabbed one of the remaining members of team 7 and carried them back to where the old man was located, watching the fight between the two jonin from there.

Looking down at the wounded girl Naruto realized just how deep the kunai had cut. Shaking his head he looked down at the wound, clearing his mind and trying to figure out what to do. His ability with the mystic palm technique was extremely limited. He simply did not have the chakra control to exert perfect control over a patient's body safely. As such he was limited to simply boosting the natural regeneration rate of whatever his chakra could touch. This had the side effect of being quite draining on him, as it was his energy not the patient's used to fuel the regeneration. Realizing he had to get her out of there he decided to do just enough to make it safe to move her.

Forming the hand signs for the mystic palm he gathered the chakra of the technique into his right hand, focusing it in two fingers to maximize control, then grimaced as he yanked the kunai out of the wound and jabbed his two fingers into it. He couldn't heal a wound like this out here, but he could heal the artery and blood vessels enough to move her somewhere safer without her bleeding out. His fingers acting like a plug to help reduce the blood flow, he concentrated on keeping his chakra focused only in the area of the wound, regenerating the area's that were letting her blood pour out. After a few minutes of this he could feel her heart beat beginning to slow slightly, the pulse stronger and her breathing was growing a bit steadier, which meant the blood pill was still helping her regenerate the blood she had lost and the bleeding was now coming under control. Relaxing he withdrew his fingers from the wound, the girl whimpering slightly thought still unconscious. Grabbing a role of bandage he wrapped it tightly around her leg and tights, using it to hold a small pad of gauze in place over the wound, hoping the pressure would limit the blood loss even more.

The immediate crisis averted Naruto created a clone to watch her wound and stood up, noticing the quiet. Drawing his Katana he moved silently out, until the clones' memories hit him, and he summoned a new clone to go retrieve the weakened Kakashi. Putting his katana away he moved back behind the makeshift barrier and over to the Hyuuga boy and checked him over, he still had a pulse and it looked like everything was working ok, he was just out cold. The Uchiha was out cold, but seemed to be all right otherwise. As he finished his inspection his clone arrived supporting Kakashi.

"Kakashi-san." The tired jonin looked up at the boy. Naruto tossed him the scroll with his name on it.

"I'm taking Haruno-san and the old man to his place now, I stopped the majority of the bleeding but there's a lot more to do before she's ok." Naruto noticed the now awake Uchiha boy glaring at him. "Oh yeah." Digging the map out of his scroll pouch he walked over and handed it to the jonin. "Here, it's got his house marked on it. I'll come looking for you once I get her taken care of." Turning he jumped over to the injured girl and created two clones. Once the unconscious girl was loaded on to his back one of the clones had Tazuna loaded on to its back. "I think I know where we are going old man but help me out if I'm wrong." The old man continued to stare at the boy, still trying to absorb what had just happened. Naruto and his clone jumped into the trees, heading towards wave. Kakashi just sighed as the clone next to him dispelled, and watched Sasuke attempt to wake up Hideo. "What else can go wrong today?" _Aside from that curious hunter nin anyway._

"Hey, Sasuke, take sensei for a bit, I need a rest." Sasuke grunted in reply, taking over in helping Kakashi walk and allowing Hideo a chance to recover.

"If the map is correct we should be there in another hour." Hideo nodded in reply, his measured breathing an indication of how worn out the genin was. They were skirting around the edge of the town, hoping to avoid any attention which may be unwanted.

"So… what exactly happened? All you've told me so far is that Tazuna-san and Sakura-san are safe." Hideo mumbled, looking over at his two companions. Sasuke huffed in annoyance at Kakashi's silence before answering for him. "An anbu showed up and broke Kakashi-sensei out of that trap, and then he took Haruno and Tazuna-san back to his home because Haruno was injured."

"Is it such a problem to call your teammate by her first name? and how was Sakura-san hurt?"

"She's annoying and weak." Was all the Uchiha said in reply as if that was enough to answer Hideo's question. Kakashi frowned at his student. "Sasuke, that's enough." The warning in Kakashi's voice was clear.

"Honestly, I wonder what she sees in you." Hideo muttered, the veins around his eye's bulging out as he watched the surrounding area. Sasuke said nothing in reply, having already tuned the Hyuuga out, his thoughts focused on the young blonde that had saved him. That boy was stronger, and it angered him, there was someone out there who had trained him to be that strong, and Sasuke needed that strength more.

Sakura woke to find herself in a dark room, dim light sneaked past the edges of dark curtains of a window to her right allowing limited visibility in the plain room. The dull ache in her leg forced her tired mind to start piecing together her fragmented memories. The attack, Sasuke's kunai in her leg, the familiar looking anbu who appeared in front of her… then nothing. Fear filled her as she suddenly tried to sit up, where was everyone? Were they ok? What happened? A hand pressed against her shoulder, pushing her back down, she found herself too weak to resist. In her confusion she hadn't even noticed the presence of another person in the room. The ache in her leg became stronger reminding her of her injury.

"Stay down, I'm still trying to heal all the damage and you moving is not helping." The person's voice, a male froze her in place. Slowly her awareness started to return to her, as she noticed she wasn't wearing her tights any longer. A hand was resting on her thigh, it tingled slightly. Anger welled up in her and before she could think she yelled… or tried too.

"G… get your h-h-hands off me you-" His hand let go of her leg and instantly the pain there increased, as she felt the hand on her shoulder slide to her back and pull her into a sitting position. A poof of smoke next to the figure became a shape that moved to the window, opening the curtain as a glass of water was pushed into her left hand. She drank it immediately, her parched throat and lips welcoming the cool liquid, she had never felt so thirsty in her life. The glass now empty she studied the man sitting quietly next to her, wishing she had a blanket to cover herself. She felt tired, oh… so tired.

"I had the old man's daughter change your pants, you have shorts on in case you didn't notice. She stiffened as he lifted her leg, but found herself too weak to resist and watched him bandage her leg.

"Your leg is still in bad shape, but the bleeding is taken care of, I doubt you'll be able to move much for a few days, but you need to eat." Turning to the clone that had helped him wrap the girl's leg he told it to get her some food and let Kakashi know she was awake.

"I-" He cut her off saying "It can wait, eat up and get some rest." She was about to say it anyway when her smiling sensei opened the door and walked in.

"Hey Sakura, good to see you-woah!" Kakashi managed to balance the tray of food he was holding in one hand and caught Naruto in the other as he passed out mid step towards the door. Sakura stared in shock, too tired to do anything more than gape at the scene.

"Ah… Tsunami-san! Could you help me out here a moment?" A woman just slightly shorter than Kakashi with dark hair came in almost instantly.

"Oh no! is he all right?" Kakashi nodded his head towards the tray, Tsunami taking it from his hand and walking around the two brought it over to Sakura, sitting down next to her.

"Oh I'm sure he'll be fine, he's probably just got a case of chakra exhaustion, still I'm surprised he was able to maintain that medical technique all night long. I'll be right back, just going to put him down in our room to sleep." With that Kakashi carried Naruto out of the room.

"Sakura-san?" The woman's kind voice shook her out of her daze. _He healed me all night long?_

"Are you hungry? It's not much, but please eat." Sakura didn't need to be asked twice, she had never felt so hungry in her life. She tore into the food eagerly, it was a simple meal, some miso soup, bread and a small amount of rice but it disappeared far too quickly. Taking the glass of water on the tray she drained it one long slow draw, amazed at how the simple act of eating had already made her feel much better.

"That boy, the one with the mask said that you need to sleep, he said he'd probably pass out and wanted me to tell you that." The woman clearly looked worried about him.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, he just needs to rest and let his chakra recover." It was nice having her voice back again, even if it was still a bit hoarse. At that moment Kakashi came back, having situated Naruto in a bed for the time being.

"Tsunami-san, I'm sorry but I need to speak with my student alone if that's all right." The woman smiled in understanding before gathering up the empty tray and glasses before closing the door behind her on her way out.

"Well it's nice to see you awake Sakura, how are you feeling?"

"Tired, sensei." _Overwhelmed. Scared. Weak._

"I see, well, let me fill you in on our situation." The word 'situation' had her looking up at him, worry gnawing at her stomach.

"Most likely, Zabuza is still alive, and most likely will attack again. He had help, someone dressed like a Hunter-nin from Amegakure. We're lucky to have Mask to help us, though it's still not a great situation. I'll be having Hideo and Sasuke take turns between guarding and training and providing you are feeling better soon you can join in as well. Honestly I'm not sure you'll be done healing by the time this is over, that kunai cut deep and did some damage to the muscle too."

She stared at the bandage on her leg, the wound that Sasuke-kun had given her.

"Hideo asked Sasuke how you got injured." The bluntness of his declaration caused her to look back up at her sensei. "Sasuke only said that you were weak and annoying."

She felt like crying, those words hurt so much.

"Sakura, listen to me. Right now Sasuke can only see one thing, and that's how strong he needs to be to kill his brother. He doesn't see you or Hideo as team mates, nor does he care to have team mates. I'm telling you this because you can't trust him to protect you like you have in the past. The person he is right now just doesn't think that way. If you want to survive as a ninja you will have to trust in yourself."

"N.. no, Sasuke-kun wouldn't" She couldn't even finish saying it, Kakashi's words were cruel but true.

"Sakura, don't forget… if Mask-kun had shown up just a few minutes later, YOU would have been Sasuke's first kill as a ninja." Kakashi left the room without saying another word; nothing more needed to be said. Sakura didn't even notice him close the curtain. She laid there in the dark, too tired to cry, sobbing softly till she fell asleep, the pain in her heart hurting far worse than the pain in her leg. Sasuke, the boy she loved had nearly killed her, and didn't seem to care.

Kakashi lay down in his bed roll and looked across the room at the blonde haired boy sleeping deeply, the contents of the scroll he had received still fresh in his mind.

"Sleep well Mask-kun, tomorrow's a big day after all, we finally get to meet you." Smiling the jonin lay back down, asleep almost instantly.

The barely audible poof of something being unsealed woke Kakashi from sleep as he sat up, kunai in hand getting his bearings. He relaxed when he saw Mask unsealing what seemed to be a large amount of ration bars from a scroll. The bars were essentially just a combination of necessary vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins that could be easily and quickly eaten to keep a ninja fed while traveling. He knew from experience that they weren't the most enjoyable of meals, tasting somewhat like cardboard but they got the job done. But why was he unsealing a large stack of them?

"So… what's with all the ration bars?" The blonde looked up at Kakashi momentarily before gathering up all of the bars in his arms and standing.

"Haruno-san needs food, because of the healing I did she is basically starving, and this family doesn't have a lot of food."

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you Mask-kun." _Though I imagine Sakura will feel differently._ "I have orders from Hokage-sama for you." Naruto had only made one step towards the door when he stopped, turning to his right to stare at the jonin. Silence filled the air for a solid minute.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" The boy hissed, clearly struggling to keep himself under control. Kakashi smiled before replying.

"You are ordered to temporarily join team 7, and assist in the completion of this mission. Safety of the genin is your primary responsibility, before the success of the mission."

Kakashi watched as the young anbu simply stood there, unmoving for another solid minute. "Stupid old man" he muttered as he marched out the bedroom door. Kakashi thought he heard something about babysitting but wasn't sure. Shrugging, he pulled out his book, and with a giggle began reading as he rested.

Naruto stalked down the stairs, on his way to give the pinkette sitting in the downstairs guest room his ration bars. He had already heard the two boys of team 7 arguing at the table over the girl, and knowing they were there did not help his mood. As he stepped off the last stair he turned left into the dining area and walked past the two now very quiet boys and into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass out of the cabinet that his shadow clone had gotten one from the previous night he filled it with water before turning back to head for the injured girl's room. Only to be blocked by Sasuke Uchiha. Annoyed blue eyes stared back at the glaring boy.

"What do you want? I'm sorta busy right now." That came out a bit rude, which was fine; he didn't like the boy much anyway, the boy clearly wasn't concerned about his teammates and that didn't sit right with him.

"Who trained you?" Naruto was impressed, this kid had the dark emo look down pat, and even his voice was depressingly expressionless.

"Doesn't matter, now get out of my way, I need to help your teammate, you know, the one you nearly killed." without waiting for a reply Naruto brushed past the seething Uchiha.

"Anbu-san" Naruto turned his head and looked at the Hyuuga that had just spoken. "My name is Hideo Hyuuga, thank you for saving us yesterday, and thank you for saving Sakura-san." His voice was calm and he spoke smoothly, every bit the image of a refined Hyuuga.

"Nice to meet you Hyuuga-San, I need to go take this stuff to your teammate now… later." Giving the Hyuuga a quick nod Naruto made his way to his original destination and knocked on the closed door. A soft "Come in" was heard through the door. It took him three tries but he managed to open the door with his hand without dropping anything, pushing the door open he walked in.

Her room was dark due to the closed curtains, she had been resting, tired again despite the short burst of energy the food had given her, she remembered from the academy learning that food requirements are increased while recovering from injuries due to the bodies need to replace damaged tissue. A quiet knock on the door interrupted her musing and she managed a quiet "Come in." She squinted against the light from the hallway; the first part of her visitor that came into focus was a familiar mask. Without a word he entered, closing the door behind him and moving quickly next to her bed, setting down first a glass of water and then setting a large stack of what appeared to be ration bars down next to the glass. She grimaced, it was pretty obvious what they were there for.

"I'm not eating those, they're gross, and a patient needs proper nutrition to heal." He ignored her comment, instead grabbing hold of the blanket pulled up to her stomach.

"I need to check your leg." His voice did not fit his demeanor she decided, it was entirely too young sounding, despite the almost frighteningly calm tone it took. Feeling self-conscious she nonetheless nodded her assent, and stiffened slightly as he pulled the blanket down revealing her legs. His left hand formed a sign she couldn't make out in the dark and two puffs of smoke signaled the arrival of two copies of the anbu. The two copies carefully lifted her leg while the original unwrapped the wound, staring at it for a few minutes, noticing it bleed slightly without the pressure of the bandage on it. He rewrapped it with fresh bandages and gauze from his pouch before turning his face to regard her.

"How much does it hurt? How do you feel?" She had bitten her lip lightly at the pain of having her leg move, but it was nowhere near the agony she remembered from the other day. "It hurts but it's ok. I'm really tired, and hungry. Can I get some real food?" She looked up at him with a slight pout. _Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do._

"Sure" the boy replied before tossing her a ration bar. "It's real, honest!" She huffed in frustration before opening the bar and beginning to eat it. "They don't have much food." Mask said quietly, catching her attention. "Try to eat those if you can, they would go hungry to feed you probably." The way his voice wavered slightly made her wonder if he understood something she didn't. "They aren't that bad" she muttered, unable to bring herself to argue with him about it. "Eat as many as you can, and drink all the water you can. I suck at medical jutsu, I only know that one because it was required, and I don't really know how to use it, all I can do is make your wound heal a bit faster, but everything around it does too, so it wears you out a lot. I don't really understand it all but you need to eat a lot." The boy shrugged before turning to leave. "Thanks" she said quietly, in between thoughtful bites of her ration bar, his pace slowed for a second and she saw him nod his head slightly before leaving the room.

Naruto closed the door behind him quietly and walked through the living room, pausing at the stairs to look at the Hyuuga who waited at the table calmly. "She'll be fine, just needs to eat and rest." Without another word he went upstairs to gather his gear.

Cold salty wind ruffled his hair slightly as he stood watch over the workers busily building the bridge beneath him. Guard duty was even more boring than babysitting, as hard as he found that to believe. He had even created a bunch of clones to carry things around and help out simply as a distraction from the boredom. The genin should be here doing this, but they were worn out still from their trip here. Kakashi had been quite clear that they needed rest. He was still annoyed by what Kakashi had said to him before he left. "_Regular duties will be a good experience for you, you can't stay an anbu forever if you want to be hokage after all." _He could practically feel the copycat smirking at him. He knew that eventually he would have to remove the mask and serve as a normal ninja of Konoha if he ever hoped to achieve his dream. Didn't mean he had to like it.

It was dusk when the hard working bridge builder finally called a halt to work for that day. Men slumped away to their homes exhausted, but he could see the pride they all carried in their stride. They were doing something important and they knew it. He wondered how much blood and tears had been spent for this bridge already. Mask trailed slightly behind Tazuna as the old man lumbered down the dark forest path, unaware of the ten clones that surrounded them acting as a barrier. If Kakashi's story was accurate there shouldn't be any trouble for a few more days at least, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

"So what's your story kid?" The old man abruptly asked, his pace never slowing. The question caught him off guard; he wasn't expecting the man to talk to him. Most people did their best to ignore anbu, whether out of fear or respect. "I'm here to protect those genin." It was the easy answer, though it wasn't the answer to what the old man was really asking him. The old man just nodded silently, he had been around long enough to know when someone didn't want to talk. Their walk finished in silence, the only sound passing between them the rustling of the trees in the breeze and the heavy steps of the bridge builder.

A quiet splash disturbs the cool night air as a silent figure steps out of the shallows, several fish strung together on a length of wire hanging from their hand. A memory from a dispersed clone tells him that Kakashi has woken up and taken over the morning watch. Walking towards the forest Naruto stops and grabs a second bunch of fish hung on a branch before taking to the trees. Three minutes later he lands in front of the house where his team is staying and nods at Kakashi before entering. Stopping in the kitchen he hangs the fish and grabs a cup from the cupboard, filling it with fresh water before making his way to the kunoichi's room. Entering the room quietly he notes with satisfaction that a large number of the ration bars are gone, and leaves the fresh glass of water on the nightstand. Leaving the room, he made his way upstairs before crashing for a few hours of sleep.

The rest of the week passed by quickly, Kakashi training his 2 uninjured genin and Mask taking care of protecting the bridge workers. Mask took watch at night, alternating with Kakashi while the genin rested, their training pushing them hard enough that it was necessary for them to rest without taking watch shifts. By the end of the week Mask was exhausted, and Kakashi gave Sasuke and Hideo watch, allowing the worn out cadet to get some much-needed rest. Sakura Rested in the mean time, slowly recovering her strength, though she still wasn't mobile enough to resume duty.

The next day Mask slept in, thoroughly exhausted, and Kakashi took the two boys with him to handle watching over the bridge while training them and allowing the exhausted cadet to catch up on rest. An hour after they had left Naruto woke to a scream and jumped up, sending a clone running down stairs as he jumped out a window.

"Get back!" Sakura shouted, one hand pressed over a freshly bleeding leg, the other holding a kunai and staring down two scruffy looking samurai who moved forward confidently, katana's at the ready. Behind her Tsunami and Inari huddled, scared at the anticipated violence.

"Hey what's going on!" the clone shouted, stumbling noisily into the middle of the room, the shorter of the two samurai moved quickly towards the stumbling clone, a sloppy slash of his sword dispelling the clone, leaving the samurai confused before a slick tearing sound and a gurgle made him whip his head around, his taller companion stood there, shock on his face as his lifeblood spilled out of his neck, down over the tattoo's on his chest. As he fell to the ground, the shorter man gasped as a katana pierced through his chest from behind, eye's darkening as death took him quickly.

"Sit down." His voice was calm, and it amazed her how calm he could be… he just killed two men!

"Sakura! Sit Down! You're bleeding!" This time his voice shook her out of her shock, and she plopped to the floor, not due to his command so much as the overwhelming events. Sakura had never seen death so close before, the bodies lay on the floor and the smell of blood hung on the air.

The corpse of the tattooed man twitched. She was gonna be sick.

The jarring pain brought her mind back into focus, the quiet ninja in front of her already wrapping a bandage tightly around her leg, over her clothes causing her to wince.

"Sorry." He muttered quietly at her reaction.

She just nodded her head, focused on the pain.

"You probably just tore it all open, I don't have time to check it, keep it bandaged, it isn't bleeding too bad. I'll be back soon."

Again, she just nodded her head, frustration gnawing at her now. _So damn useless._

Standing, he moved to the door, forming three clones as he went.

"I'm going to the bridge, these guys will stay with you, go hide with friends, Sakura go with them." With that he was gone out the door, jumping into the trees and was lost from sight. Tsunami bent down and helped the injured kunoichi to her feet.

"Come on Sakura-San, my friend Yukina isn't far from here." Inari followed quietly behind as they made their way slowly down a path towards the outskirts of town, the three clones guarding them silently.


End file.
